As we are currently experiencing supply chain challenges, it becomes more and more crucial to understand demand of products during certain periods to prepare for the future. Although the past is not always the best indicator for the future, it does provide a starting place. The data was pulled from NAICS code 445110. To prepare the data for analysis and break down by region, I used the U.S. census bureaus regional designation.
https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf
To answer the question of increase in foot traffic I have provided two different graphics. Figure 1 is a very straightforward bar chart that takes the average amount of foot traffic from 2018 - 2021 during thanksgiving week and compares it to the rest of the year. On average, there is more foot traffic on a normal day than there would be during Thanksgiving week. Figure 1 consolidates 2018 - 2021 into one average and does not provide a nuanced analysis over time.
Figure 2, plots the total amount of foot traffic by day per region compared to the foot traffic during thanksgiving week. To plot the Thanksgiving week averages over time, I used geom_smooth to create an estimate. What figure 2 does better is show the impact that Covid-19 had on foot traffic showing a very sttp drop, that was also reflected in foot traffic during thanksgiving.
Comparing Thanksgiving week to any other day in the United States there is not a a significant difference in foot traffic, even when broken down by day, Thanksgiving week still has an overall lower average. There are many plausible explanations for this, perhaps during Thanksgiving week, shoppers know that it would be more efficient to send one person rather than a large group, perhaps the person who shops, shops regularly for the family. To explain why foot traffic is lower further qualitative observation or surety data is necessary to understand consumer trends.